Pressurized Multipurpose Module
Encyclopedia
The Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) is a module of the International Space Station
. It was flown into space aboard the Space Shuttle
on STS-133
on 24 February 2011 and installed on 1 March. Leonardo is primarily used for storage of spares, supplies and waste on the ISS, which is currently stored in many different places within the space station. The Leonardo PMM was a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
(MPLM) before 2011, but was modified into its current configuration. It was formerly one of three MPLM used for bringing cargo to and from the ISS with the Space Shuttle
.
and orbital debris protection and cooling systems and leaving it attached to the ISS after the Space Shuttle fleet is retired. Costs for such MPLM modifications were estimated at $20M to $40M per unit. The MPLM would then be called a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), and it would house spare parts and supplies, allowing longer times between resupply missions. The proposal was rejected by NASA
because it would require changes to existing plans and would entail additional costs. Internal discussions continued and managers considered the possibility of STS-133
, which at that time was planned to be the last Shuttle flight, leaving its MPLM permanently attached. The United Launch Alliance
also published a proposal for a system that could allow additional ISS modules to be launched on an EELV even after the retirement of the Shuttle.
On August 5, 2009 it was announced that STS-133 would indeed leave one MPLM permanently attached to the station. In October 2009, it was confirmed that Leonardo would be the MPLM converted to a PMM. It was launched on February 24, 2011. The PMM was transferred to the station using the Shuttle robotic arm and mated to the nadir
(Earth) facing port of Unity.
mission, the Leonardo MPLM was moved to the Space Station Processing Facility
(SSPF) at the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida to undergo modifications. To convert the Leonardo MPLM into the PMM, NASA made the following modifications: removal of +Y grapple fixture (Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture, or FRGF), removal of ROFU (Remotely Operated Fluid Umbilical) components, replacement of CBM
seal, installation of new forward end cone MMOD shields
, feed through seal replacement, and installation of visiting vehicle retro-reflectors.
In addition, the Multi-layer insulation
(MLI) blankets from the never-flown Donatello MPLM were cannibalized for use on Leonardo. The blankets were removed and returned to Italy where they were reinforced with Nextel/Kevlar
to provide better protection against micro-meteorites. The upgraded blankets were then installed on about two-thirds of Leonardo's surface area.
The Leonardo MPLM, also known as MPLM-1, was one of three Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
s which were operated by NASA
to transfer supplies and equipment to and from the International Space Station
. Leonardo was used for eight of the twelve MPLM flights to the space station, with Raffaello
being used for the other four. It was the first MPLM to be launched, making its first flight in March 2001, aboard on STS-102
. Following its last flight as an MPLM, on STS-131
in April 2010, it underwent conversion to become the Permanent Multipurpose Module, and was launched aboard Discovery on STS-133
to become a permanent component of the station.
Like the other Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, it was constructed by the Italian Space Agency
, who chose to name it after Leonardo da Vinci
. Construction began in April 1996, and the module was delivered to NASA at the Kennedy Space Center
in August 1998 by an Airbus Beluga
aircraft.
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. It was flown into space aboard the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
on STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
on 24 February 2011 and installed on 1 March. Leonardo is primarily used for storage of spares, supplies and waste on the ISS, which is currently stored in many different places within the space station. The Leonardo PMM was a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is a large pressurized container used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station . An MPLM was carried in the cargo bay of a Shuttle and berthed to the Unity or Harmony modules on the ISS. From there, supplies were...
(MPLM) before 2011, but was modified into its current configuration. It was formerly one of three MPLM used for bringing cargo to and from the ISS with the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
.
Previous proposals
A European proposal suggested equipping the Donatello MPLM with enhanced micrometeoroidMicrometeoroid
A micrometeoroid is a tiny meteoroid; a small particle of rock in space, usually weighing less than a gram. A micrometeor or micrometeorite is such a particle that enters the Earth's atmosphere or falls to Earth.-Scientific interest:...
and orbital debris protection and cooling systems and leaving it attached to the ISS after the Space Shuttle fleet is retired. Costs for such MPLM modifications were estimated at $20M to $40M per unit. The MPLM would then be called a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), and it would house spare parts and supplies, allowing longer times between resupply missions. The proposal was rejected by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
because it would require changes to existing plans and would entail additional costs. Internal discussions continued and managers considered the possibility of STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
, which at that time was planned to be the last Shuttle flight, leaving its MPLM permanently attached. The United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. U.S...
also published a proposal for a system that could allow additional ISS modules to be launched on an EELV even after the retirement of the Shuttle.
On August 5, 2009 it was announced that STS-133 would indeed leave one MPLM permanently attached to the station. In October 2009, it was confirmed that Leonardo would be the MPLM converted to a PMM. It was launched on February 24, 2011. The PMM was transferred to the station using the Shuttle robotic arm and mated to the nadir
Nadir
The nadir is the direction pointing directly below a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of being below is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous...
(Earth) facing port of Unity.
Modifications
After returning to Earth on April 20, 2010 at the end of the STS-131STS-131
STS-131 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . launched on 5 April 2010 at 6:22 am from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, and landed at 9:08 am on 20 April 2010 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility...
mission, the Leonardo MPLM was moved to the Space Station Processing Facility
Space Station Processing Facility
The Space Station Processing Facility is a three-story, 42,500 m2 buildinglocated in the Kennedy Space Center industrial area, just east of the Operations and Checkout Building....
(SSPF) at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
in Florida to undergo modifications. To convert the Leonardo MPLM into the PMM, NASA made the following modifications: removal of +Y grapple fixture (Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture, or FRGF), removal of ROFU (Remotely Operated Fluid Umbilical) components, replacement of CBM
Common Berthing Mechanism
The common berthing mechanism is a berthing mechanism used to connect all non-Russian pressurized modules of the International Space Station....
seal, installation of new forward end cone MMOD shields
Whipple shield
The Whipple shield or Whipple bumper, invented by Fred Whipple, is a type of hypervelocity impact shield used to protect manned and unmanned spacecraft from collisions with micrometeoroids and orbital debris whose velocities generally range between ....
, feed through seal replacement, and installation of visiting vehicle retro-reflectors.
In addition, the Multi-layer insulation
Multi-layer insulation
Multi-layer insulation, or MLI, is thermal insulation composed of multiple layers of thin sheets often used on spacecraft. It one of the main items of the spacecraft thermal design, mainly intended to reduce heat loss by thermal radiation. In its basic form, it does not appreciably insulate...
(MLI) blankets from the never-flown Donatello MPLM were cannibalized for use on Leonardo. The blankets were removed and returned to Italy where they were reinforced with Nextel/Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
to provide better protection against micro-meteorites. The upgraded blankets were then installed on about two-thirds of Leonardo's surface area.
As an MPLM
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is a large pressurized container used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station . An MPLM was carried in the cargo bay of a Shuttle and berthed to the Unity or Harmony modules on the ISS. From there, supplies were...
s which were operated by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to transfer supplies and equipment to and from the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. Leonardo was used for eight of the twelve MPLM flights to the space station, with Raffaello
Raffaello MPLM
The Raffaello MPLM, also known as MPLM-2, was one of three Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules which were operated by NASA to transfer supplies and equipment to and from the International Space Station. Raffaello was used for three of eleven MPLM flights to the space station, with Leonardo being used...
being used for the other four. It was the first MPLM to be launched, making its first flight in March 2001, aboard on STS-102
STS-102
STS-102 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida...
. Following its last flight as an MPLM, on STS-131
STS-131
STS-131 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . launched on 5 April 2010 at 6:22 am from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, and landed at 9:08 am on 20 April 2010 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility...
in April 2010, it underwent conversion to become the Permanent Multipurpose Module, and was launched aboard Discovery on STS-133
STS-133
STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011...
to become a permanent component of the station.
Like the other Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, it was constructed by the Italian Space Agency
Italian Space Agency
The Italian Space Agency is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy...
, who chose to name it after Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
. Construction began in April 1996, and the module was delivered to NASA at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
in August 1998 by an Airbus Beluga
Airbus Beluga
-External links:*...
aircraft.
Flights
| Mission | Orbiter | Launch (UTC) | Landing (UTC) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS-102 STS-102 STS-102 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida... |
Discovery | 8 March 2001 11:42:09 |
21 March 2001 07:33:06 |
|
| STS-105 STS-105 STS-105 was a mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 10 August 2001. This mission was Discoverys final mission until STS-114, because Discovery was grounded for a refit, and then all Shuttles were grounded in the wake... |
Discovery | 10 August 2001 21:10:14 |
22 August 2001 18:23 |
|
| STS-111 STS-111 STS-111 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-111 resupplied the station and replaced the Expedition 4 crew with the Expedition 5 crew... |
Endeavour | 5 June 2002 21:22:49 |
19 June 2002 17:58:45 |
|
| STS-121 STS-121 STS-121 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster of February 2003 as well as to deliver supplies, equipment and... |
Discovery | 4 July 2006 18:37:55 |
17 July 2006 13:14:43 |
|
| STS-126 STS-126 -Crew notes:Originally scheduled to fly on STS-126 was Joan E. Higginbotham, who was a mission specialist on STS-116. On 21 November 2007, NASA announced a change in the crew manifest due to Higginbotham's decision to leave NASA to take a job in the private sector. Stephen G... |
Endeavour | 15 November 2008 00:55:39 |
30 November 2008 21:25:06 |
|
| STS-128 STS-128 -Crew notes:Nicole Stott was originally scheduled to return aboard Soyuz TMA-15, but a change in the flight plan was made due to the possible flight delays in future shuttle missions, which may extend Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk's mission beyond the six-month duration preferred for station... |
Discovery | 29 August 2009 03:59:37 |
11 September 2009 00:53 |
|
| STS-131 STS-131 STS-131 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . launched on 5 April 2010 at 6:22 am from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A, and landed at 9:08 am on 20 April 2010 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility... |
Discovery | 5 April 2010 10:21:25 |
20 April 2010 13:08:35 |
|
| STS-133 STS-133 STS-133 was the 133rd mission in NASA's Space Shuttle program; during the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station. It was Discoverys 39th and final mission. The mission launched on 24 February 2011, and landed on 9 March 2011... |
Discovery | 24 February 2011 20:53:24 |
9 March 2011 15:57:16 |
See also
- 2010 in spaceflight2010 in spaceflightThe year 2010 saw a number of notable events in spaceflight. These included the first test flight of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is intended to conduct commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, and the...
- List of ISS spacewalks
- List of space shuttle missions
- List of spacewalks since 2000
- List of human spaceflights chronologically